MUST COME FROM ARMY

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 99, 17 December 1943, Page 1

MUST COME FROM ARMY

ANY GERMAN PEACE BID

NO FOUNDATION FOR

RUMOURS

From the welter of rumours and contradictions regarding German peace approaches to the Allies, the actual position is that some attempts are believed to have been made to contact the Allies from two quarters, but not by representatives of any real substance, re-1 ports Mr Trevor Smith, London correspondent of the Melbourne Herald. These and any similar subsequent approaches are doomed to failure, and I have been officially told the Allied attitude is that unconditional surrender must come tonly from the head of the German Army. There will be no intermediate way, no contact with political representatives, no negotiations in foreign capitals. Surrender must come from the German General Staff itself. It is regarded as immensely important to the world's future that the German Army this time should surrender completely. Everyone with whom I have spoken says there is no sign that the German Army has yet given any thoughts to surrender. The generals are stated to support Hitler, whose deputy, Himmler, controls the great army of occupation inside Germany. * There is no political party inside Germany endangering Hitler. Every report agrees that the German Army's morale is still very high, although the crack, when it comes, may be sudden. All talk of the war being over by Christmas is described as fantastic in view of the terrific fighting still to come.